NEET Exam Row: NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh removed, PS Kharola to replace him

The June edition of the Joint Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and UGC-NET was postponed on Friday night

In a late night development on June 22, the Central government removed Subodh Kumar Singh, the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), and put him on "compulsory wait" in DoPT.

Pradeep Singh Kharola, the Chairman and MD of India Trade Promotion Organisation, has been assigned additional charge as the Director General of the NTA for now.

"NTA DG has been put on compulsory wait in the Department of Personnel and Training. Pradeep Singh Kharola has been assigned additional charge of NTA DG till further orders," a senior official said.

Facing flak over alleged discrepancies in competitive exams, the Centre on Saturday shunted out National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG to the CBI.

"For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, it was decided after a review that the matter be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for comprehensive investigation," the Ministry of Education said announcing the late-night decision.

The development came amid a flurry of decisions over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the removal of National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and setting up of a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan for exam reforms.

Earlier today, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said that the "top leadership" of the National Testing Agency is under the scanner over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET.

When asked about inquiry into the NTA's role, Dharmendra Pradhan said, "I have already said there has been an institutional failure. I have taken responsibility. NTA's top leadership is under several types of questions. But I have to safeguard students' interests first. I am a custodian of their interests."

Meanwhile, The NEET-PG entrance examination scheduled to be held on June 23 has been postponed. The fresh date of this examination will be notified at the earliest, the Ministry of Health said.

"Taking into consideration, the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of processes of the NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by the National Board of Examination for medical students," it said.

Earlier this week, the ministry had sought a report from the Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit, which is investigating the alleged NEET paper leak.

"The report has not been received yet... But it is certain that nobody involved or responsible for any irregularity will be spared," he said.

The Centre is under fire over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET. While the medical entrance exam question paper was allegedly leaked, the UGC-NET was cancelled a day after it was conducted following inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised. The matter is being probed by the CBI.

The education ministry on Saturday also notified a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.

On June 21, the Centre operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractice and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.